6 people go to hospital after 3-vehicle crash in Brandon

Six people were rushed to hospital and one was later airlifted to Winnipeg after three vehicles crashed in Brandon Tuesday evening.

Emergency responders rushed to Kirkcaldy Drive, near Fraser Crescent, after a van, SUV and car collided around 8:30 p.m.

The SUV,driven by a woman, was headed north when it was hit by a westbound car, driven by a 27-year-old man. The car then hit the van, police said.

Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to get the man driving the car out of his vehicle, said Kevin Holder, captain at Brandon Fire and Emergency Services.

STARS air ambulance was called to the Brandon hospital around 8:45 p.m. and took the man, who had serious injuries and was in critical condition, to Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg.

In total, nine people were involved in the crash and six people were brought to hospital, including a five-year-old child who had a head injury, police said, but is in stable condition.

Holder had previously said eight people were taken to hospital.

Speed, alcohol and drugs are believed to be factors, Brandon police said, and charges against the 27-year-old man are pending.

The road was closed until around 7 a.m. Wednesday.